Tottenham are expected to make heavy changes for Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup tie against Charlton after Saturday’s 3-0 opening-day loss at Brentford. James Maddison is doubtful after a reported knock, while Omar Marmoush could be in line for a debut and Savinho may also be involved.
Tottenham’s likely rotation
Alasdair Gold of football.london said there is a strong chance Martin Dúbravka could come in between the sticks in place of Antonin Kinsky, with changes also possible in defence. That points to a response game rather than a settled XI, which feels about right after a damaging first league outing.
Tottenham’s defeat at Brentford left them with an immediate need to steady things, and the selection talk reflects that. The scale of the changes should also give fringe players a chance to reset early in the season, instead of waiting for the league schedule to force the issue.
Charlton’s test after the West Ham win
Charlton arrive with some confidence of their own after beating West Ham 2-1 at the London Stadium last weekend. Alasdair Gold’s line on the tie is that Charlton should not be treated as filler, and that holds up given what they have already done against Premier League opposition.
Maddison’s absence would be the sharpest footballing blow for Tottenham in a rotated side, because he is one of the players who can control a cup match without much support around him. The reported knock against Brentford puts that part of the plan in doubt, while the possible debut for Marmoush gives the night a different focus as well.
Tottenham’s only clear job now is to avoid another flat performance and get through the tie with some rhythm. Charlton have already shown they can make this awkward, and Wednesday night will tell us how far the rotation goes before the cup starts to matter again.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
